Most museums neglect Purim but celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on social media
So much for diversity, equity, and inclusion in regard to this important Jewish holiday.
“‘May the road rise up to meet you./ May the wind be always at your back./ May the sun shine warm upon your face,/ and the rains fall soft on your fields…’— An old Irish Blessing. Happy St. Patrick’s Day,” notes a post on the National Gallery of Art’s Instagram handle. The museum calls upon readers to “Celebrate with a close look at works by Irish artists throughout history,” including a watercolor landscape by Francis Danby, an “Imaginary Portrait of an English Gentleman” by Thomas Frye, and “Shoshone Falls, Snake River, Idaho” by Timothy H. O’Sullivan.
The National Gallery—which receives federal funding and whose mission, vision, and values states that the museum “serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity” and is devoted to “Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion”—does not include any message on its Instagram handle wishing a happy Purim to Jewish readers.
By a calendar coincidence, the Jewish holiday of Purim and St. Patrick’s Day both fall on the same day this year, March 17—with the Jewish holiday beginning on March 16 at night and ending on March 17 at night. Lest one think the National Gallery requires that a holiday have sufficient sticking power before it makes it big on the museum’s social media, Britannica notes Saint Patrick died on March 17, 461, while the Purim festival “was already long established by the 2nd century.”
Other museums followed suit in neglecting Jewish viewers. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Instagram handle (4 million followers) states, “It’s not easy being green, but these Met artworks sure wear the color well.” It offered up images of several green pieces in the collection with the well wishes, “Happy #StPatricksDay, folks. 🍀”
Although some Jews have been known to live in the same city and state as the Met, mum was the word about the Jewish holiday on the museum’s Instagram handle.
Other museums that celebrate or mark St. Patrick’s Day but not Purim on their Instagram handles include:
The Smithsonian, with its 1 million followers (“Legend says Saint Patrick banished the snakes from Ireland. From an ecological perspective, we wouldn’t recommend it….”)
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (“This fire hat was used in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the first half of the 19th century. … #AmericanHistory #IrishAmericanHistory #StPatricksDay #FirefightingHistory #FireFighting”)
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (“Is it Snake Patrick’s Day already?! Not to be overshadowed by the museum’s anniversary, here’s a photo of a blind snake, Ramphotyphlops hatmaliyeb, from our collection. This species exists on the Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands.”)
Atlanta’s High Museum of Art (“Happy #StPatricksDay. We’re sending you a bit of luck with Ellsworth Kelly’s Green Curve (1999).”)
Art Institute of Chicago (“Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! 🍀 The Chicago River ran green again this past weekend, a longstanding city tradition that began in 1962.”)
Dallas Museum of Art (“In celebration of #StPatricksDay, and with the first day of spring just around the corner, we’re transporting ourselves to these lush green scenes from our collection. 💚🍀🌿🌳”), which also was willing to look 200 years back in history to wish a happy birthday to French artist Rosa Bonheur, but not quite a few centuries prior. (Other museums did this too.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (“🍀 Virtual pinch for St. Patrick’s Day!
We have some cute clovers on campus – come check them out. Drop a 🍀 in the comments if you’re swinging by today! And #LUCKY for you, Thursdays are #FREE!”), which five days prior wished readers, “Hey bud, 🌼 happy Plant a Flower Day!”
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (“It ain’t easy being green...💚 Sharing some gorgeous greenery from the collection to celebrate #StPatricksDay.”)
Portland Art Museum (“Celebrate #StPatricksDay with this print titled ‘Ireland’ by Adolf Dehn.”)
Baltimore Museum of Art (“Seeing green today on #StPatricksDay. 🍀
Want more? Search the collection to browse paintings, sculptures, drawings, and objects that feature a clover-toned hue.”), which is not far from one of the largest Orthodox Jewish community in the country.
Walters Art Museum (“Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 💚 #DidYouKnow: Hand-pins such as this were fashionable in Ireland and Scotland in the 6th and 7th centuries. This pin served as a cloak fastener.”), which is not far from the same Orthodox Jewish community.
St. Louis Art Museum (“This is a pinch-free zone. 🍀 Happy #StPatricksDay everybody!”)
Nashville’s Frist Art Museum (“We are 🍀the luckiest🍀 to be able to present and originate high-quality exhibitions with related educational programs and community outreach activities for YOU.”), which is presumably a reference to St. Patrick’s Day, although it doesn’t mention the holiday by name.
Cincinnati Art Museum (“Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 🍀 In The Harp of Erin the female figure is a personification that carries a political message. The young woman, wearing shamrocks in her hair and a green scarf, symbolizes Ireland. She is chained to a large rock that represents England. The title reinforces the artist’s meaning, as the harp is Ireland’s national symbol and Erin its ancient name...”)
Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Art (“Happy St. Patrick’s Day ☘️ Enjoy Hollis Frampton’s photograph ADSVMVS ABSVMVS ( I. WHITE CLOVER) for some four leaf clover good luck!”)
Many of the above museums also address diversity, equity and inclusion in their mission statements, despite their neglect of Purim. Some museums—notably the Cleveland Museum of Art—refrain from mentioning either holiday, which benefits from consistency. (The Cleveland museum does celebrate Pi Day.)
From what I can see, three museums offered well wishes to both Christian and Jewish celebrators:
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (“Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 🍀🍀🍀🍀” and “The story of #Purim, one of the most beloved festivals in the Jewish calendar, is recounted in the Book of Esther and takes place in ancient Persia, under King Ahasuerus.”)
Philadelphia Museum of Art (“We’re green with envy over these #SaintPatricksDay ready looks. ☘️” and “Chag Purim Sameach! The holiday of Purim is one of the most lively and festive holidays on the Jewish calendar, celebrating the salvation of the Jewish People from Haman, the prime minister of the ancient Persian Empire, who sought to annihilate them.”)
The Getty Museum (“In honor of #SaintPatricksDay, green appreciation post.” and “Today, on the Jewish holiday of Purim, people learn about Queen Esther, pictured here in the initial ‘L’ of a medieval history book.”)
With the exception of these three institutions, most of the nation’s major museums broadcast—likely inadvertently—a message of exclusion by singling St. Patrick’s Day out but not Purim. As most major museums largely shy away from discussing contemporary lived faith, it is commendable that they highlight St. Patrick’s Day to begin with.
But they either know about Purim and ignore it (which would be troubling), lack any Jewish objects that they think are worth using to highlight the Jewish holiday, as they do with St. Patrick’s Day (which reflects gaping holes in their collections), or are not aware that this was a major Jewish holiday (which suggests their diversity offices have work to do yet in this regard).
Happy belated Purim and St. Patrick’s Day!
UPDATE (3/18): A reader directs me to North Carolina Art Museum, which also wished readers a happy Purim and happy St. Patrick’s Day on Instagram.
UPDATE (3/20): A reader directs me to a Purim-themed post on the official Instagram handle of the Met’s Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. It remains the case that the Met’s main handle (4 million followers compared to the department’s 4,600+) does not acknowledge Purim, despite have posts in recent days about St. Patrick’s Day, World Poetry Day, vernal equinox, World Sleep Day, and the Ides of March.